BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT OR-030-2015-029
Contact: Larry Moore--Public Affairs Officer
Office (541) 473-6218 / Cell (336) 341-8209
Bendire Complex Makes Another Push
Vale, Ore., August 14, 2015 – The Bendire Complex has been burning about 13 miles west of Westfall, Oregon
since Tuesday morning.
This afternoon, the fire began pushing to the northeast very quickly. It has crossed Bully Creek Road and Bully
Creek itself and is well past the Bonita-Westfall Cutoff Road. The increase is size is estimated to be between at
least 10,000 acres—bringing the fire to an estimated total of more than 45,000 acres.
Five bulldozers, more than 30 engines, six water tenders and six hand crews are on scene. Oregon Interagency
Incident Management Team Four (IIMT 4) is expected to take command of the Bendire Complex over the
weekend.
The El Dorado Fire burning west of Ironside, is now at more than 5,000 acres in size. It is being managed by the
Oregon Department of Forestry. An Oregon Type I team is on order and expected to arrive soon.
The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (MAC) at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in
Boise has set the region at Preparedness Level 5 (PL-5). This means that Geographic Areas are experiencing
major incidents which have the potential to exhaust all agency fire resources.
Currently, fire resources are nearly exhausted and the Vale District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is
attempting to contain the Bendire Complex with what resources are available.
The weather forecast calls for continued winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity. Thunderstorms are
also expected this evening. These are prime conditions for both the spread of current fires and new wildfire
starts.
With fire resources being so strained, Vale District BLM Manager Don Gonzalez says that it is crucial to
prevent any human-caused fires.
“We can attribute many of these fires to drought conditions and lightning,” Gonzalez said. “We can’t control the
weather, but we can practice fire safety.”
“The fires we’re fighting show just how volatile the region is right now,” Gonzalez added.
If you see or suspect a wildfire, call the Vale BLM Fire Dispatch Center at 541-473-6295. For more information
on reporting wildfires in Malheur and Baker counties, as well as northeast Oregon, visit
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/fire/report-fire.php.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the
National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers
700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the
public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained
yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.
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